Lucas Paqueta may swap the claret and blue of West Ham for Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the summer.
It will not only be Man City that West Ham are fielding offers from for talisman Lucas Paqueta in a few months.
That’s if a ridiculous claim about a planned Aston Villa move for Paqueta proves accurate.
For West Ham fans there’s nobody better than Lucas Paqueta and now he’s one of their own.
But Villa want to make him one of their own it seems.
The Brazilian magnifico saw a proposed £85m move to Man City collapse in the summer due to allegations over illegal betting – which the Hammers star vehemently denies.
The champions are still hovering over the situation. And Pep Guardiola reportedly still wants Paqueta if and when he is cleared of any wrongdoing.
Forget Man City because Paqueta could join Villa claims reporter
But now a journalist has made a ludicrous new claim about a Paqueta deal between Aston Villa and West Ham.
Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport that Aston Villa could launch a big money bid and that it would be a good move for the Hammers ace.
“I don’t think that Aston Villa would be a bad move for Paqueta, to be honest,” Jones said.
“But, if he is going to leave West Ham, it’s going to take something special in terms of what they are promising him for the future…
Villa want to make Paqueta one of their own
“Villa obviously have their work cut out in terms of signing him because I have heard that Manchester City are still interested in him and might have something to say about where he goes next.
“I can’t believe for one second that Villa would be able to sign Paqueta without some competition from Manchester City. It’s a tough deal to do – and probably expensive – but I think it is also a reflection of just where Villa are right now and where they’re heading.”
No Dean it’s a reflection of the laughable nature of the football transfer rumour mill three months out from the summer window opening. That’s all it is.
Aston Villa are a great club of a similar size to West Ham.
The fact is no top player should ever see moving between the two as a step up unless one is in the Championship.
Yes Villa might – emphasis on the word might – have Champions League football next season.
Paqueta to Aston Villa already the summer’s most ridiculous rumour
But with interest in Paqueta from Man City and the fact a deal was already all but agreed last summer, there’s only one place he is going if he leaves West Ham.
And that’s a big ‘if’ in itself.
The FA exclusively confirmed to me this week that the Paqueta investigation is still ongoing.
There’s no guarantee it will be concluded anytime soon. Similar investigations, including into former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka, took over 18 months before it was ruled he would not be charged.
Paqueta clearly loves it at West Ham, as he has made clear again this week.
If he’s going to leave it will not be a sideways step to Aston Villa. Especially for what would likely be a few months of Champions League football.
West Ham arguably have a better first XI than Villa. Many fans feel they too would be competing for a Champions League spot with a different manager.
To already have made the most ridiculous claim of the summer window, three months before it opens, is some achievement.
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